When you think about Nintendo in the 80s, what comes to mind? Super Mario Bros? Duck Hunt and the glorious NES Zapper? Absolute domination of the home console market? All valid answers, but even for Nintendo’s most dedicated, Famicom Detective Club probably isn’t topping your list. Released for the Famicom Disk System in 1988, these game brought us two classic murder mystery visual novels, something we’ve not seen from the Nintendo since Last Window. Sadly, this duology never launched outside Japan, though it holds an intriguing history.
You can picture the surprise then, when Nintendo announced Switch versions were on the way, and would finally arrive in the West too. Now, this isn’t another case of translating the original versions as Earthbound Beginnings or Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon And The Blade Of Light were. First confirmed in 2019, Steins;Gate developers Mages have given both entries the full remake treatment, retaining that core gameplay with brand-new graphics, music, and fully voiced dialogue.
Uncover the Deadly Truth in Two Famicom Detective Club Games – Nintendo Switch Watch on YouTube
So, you might be wondering, just what are these games about? Our story began in The Missing Heir, as our nameless protagonist wakes up by a cliff, suffering with amnesia. Eventually remembering he’s an assistant detective, he teams up with Ayumi Tachibana, realising they’re both investigating the murder of Kiku Ayashiro. Soon enough, the duo gets wrapped up in a legend surrounding the Ayashiro family’s treasure, one that not only threatens to resurrect the deceased, but kill anyone who’d try stealing it.